ORANGE —
Orange County Mosquito Control District was informed by the Texas Department of Health that a collection of mosquitoes from Orange County has tested positive for West Nile virus. The mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus were collection on Wednesday, August 1, from an area on the west side of the county - North of IH-10, East of Hwy. 105 West of Doty Rd. and South of Sawmill Rd., in Vidor.
This is the first sample of mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus in Orange County in 2012. The virus is cycling between the birds and the mosquitoes in the area. So, it is important for everyone to take personal protective measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites regardless of what area it is that they live in throughout the county. Currently, West Nile virus activity in Texas is as follows: bird's 57, humans 301, mosquitoes collections 759, horses ten giving it a total of 1,127.
West Nile virus activity has been detected in 38 counties in Texas this year.
Treatments in the area have been increased and Orange County Mosquito Control is following up with additional mosquito collections and the testing of samples from the area to determine whether or not viral activity still exists. These procedures will continue until there are negative results from the T.D.H. labs.
The surveillance program collects mosquitoes throughout the county on a weekly basis. Those samples are then sent to the Texas Department of Health’s Bureau of Laboratory’s in Austin to test for viral presence. The tests normally take about a week before we get the results back.
“I am sure they will be hitting that area hard,” Carl Thibodeaux, county judge, said. “We knew it was here, it was just a matter of catching the infected mosquitos in a trap.”
The Dallas Fort Worth area has had over 200 confirmed cases of West Nile in humans. Harris County has had 200 positive results in birds and mosquitos that have been tested , but no human cases as of yet.
Residents need to take personal protective measures when outdoors such as use of repellents containing DEET when mosquito activity is present.
Less than one percent of humans who are bitten by an infected mosquito will become significantly ill or show symptoms of the West Nile virus.
Symptoms can appear three to fourteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
West Nile virus infections usually are mild flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, sore throat, body aches, and fatigue.
